Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a slew of development projects will be launched in two phases across different districts over the next two months.

In the first phase from 5 December foundation stones will be laid for a medical college and the new deputy commissioner’s office at Bongaigon. Infrastructural projects will be launched at Tamulpur, Morigaon, Golaghat, Bishwanath, Majuli, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh and Jorhat, he said on Tuesday.

The total outlay of this set of projects is estimated at Rs 15,000 crore, he said at a press conference.

The second phase will begin on 5 January 2023 and the projects of the two phases are expected to be completed before the 2026 assembly election.

The cabinet, which met for the first time Barak Valley, also decided to include 10,57,516 new beneficiaries under the government’s ‘Orunodoi’ scheme by 31 March next year taking the total number of beneficiaries to 27,57,516. The total outlay of the project will be Rs 4000 crore.

‘Orunodoi’ is a social welfare scheme of the state government to provide financial benefit to poor women through direct benefit transfer.

Two other schemes of the state government – Indira Miri Widow Pension Scheme and the Deen Dayal Divyang Scheme will be subsumed in the ‘Orunodoi’ Scheme, and each beneficiary will get Rs 1250 before Rongali Bihu.

The cabinet also approved 322 revenue related proposals of various departments which were pending for long, besides three more flyovers within Guwahati city and another from Guwahati airport to Azara. The flyovers will elevate Guwahati’s position as the gateway of south Asia, the chief minister said.

On the new projects approved by the cabinet for Barak Valley, he said the half-constructed sluice gate of Bethukandi in Cachar district, a breach in which caused the devastating floods at Silchar in June this year, will be handed over to the water resources department for restoration at an estimated cost of Rs 59 crore. Besides, the water body Mahisha Beel in Silchar town will be earmarked as protected wetland and a bill to this effect will be introduced in the state assembly in April, 2023, Sarma said.

The 87-year-old Gurucharan College in the town will be upgraded as a state university outside the ambit of the central Assam University and a new secretariat built there at a cost of Rs 135 crore. A water supply scheme for Karimganj at a cost of Rs 55 crore and at Hailakandi for Rs 56 crore were also sanctioned, he said.

The other projects approved included a 100-bedded hospital at Lakhipur, new degree model colleges at Dholai and Lakhipur, Rs 10 crore for Silchar DSA sports ground, Rs 650 crore for Karimganj Medical College, Rs 180 crores for Patharkandi Agriculture College, a new circuit house at Hailakandi and shifting of Silchar jail to Lakhipur, Sarma added.